The City of Valdosta Water Treatment Plant has been recognized as the 2013 Water Treatment Plant of the Year by the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP).
The plant was recently evaluated by GAWP inspectors on its well field operations, chemical processes and documentation, and scored 90% or better in all areas.
The water treatment plant processes over 3.5 billion gallons of drinking water for its residential, business and industrial customers annually. The state-of-the-art facility obtains the city’s water supply from 7 wells that are drilled into an underground layer of porous, water-bearing limestone known as the Upper Floridan Aquifer.
Originally built in 1992, the plant’s major treatment systems were upgraded in 2007 to maintain quality water services while keeping up with city growth. The plant uses ozone as the primary treatment process and was the first municipal plant in Georgia to use this technology. It has many innovative features, including on-site generation of sodium hypochlorite for secondary disinfection and computer monitoring and control of treatment processes.
The Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) is a not-for-profit association founded in 1932 with membership of over 4,000 water and wastewater treatment professionals. The organization’s main purpose is to educate and assist those who have an interest in the proper management and protection of Georgia’s water resources.